GLCCI1 and STIP1 variants are associated with asthma susceptibility and inhaled corticosteroid response in a Tunisian population

<b>Objective:</b> Pharmacogenetic studies have recognized specific genes that highly correlate with response to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) treatment in asthma patients. Among the genes identified, we selected glucocorticoid-induced transcript 1 (<i>GLCCI1</i>) and stress-induced phosphoprotein 1 (<i>STIP1</i>) to evaluate the impact of these gene polymorphisms on ICS treatment response in Tunisian asthmatics. <b>Methods:</b> We analyzed four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): two in <i>GLCCI1</i> (rs37972 and rs37973), and two in <i>STIP1</i> (rs2236647 and rs2236648), which are genes associated with susceptibility to asthma and response to ICS in a Tunisian cohort. The SNPs were genotyped using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques. <b>Results:</b> This case–control study consisted of 230 adult asthmatic patients and 236 healthy subjects. Seventy-five asthmatics were selected and followed through 12 weeks of routine treatment. The T allele rs2236648 in <i>STIP1</i> was associated with allergic asthma (OR = 0.38, 95%CI = 0.20–0.69, <i>p</i> = 0.001). The rs37972 and rs37973 of <i>GLCCI1</i> were associated with a higher risk of asthma (<i>p</i> p p p <b>Conclusion:</b> The rs37972 and rs37973 polymorphisms can serve as potential asthma risk biomarkers in a Tunisian population.